so that they would not wilt--and palms
and things; and then we made banks and banks of asters and
goldenrod,--oh, it was lovely! Most of them came from the camp-pasture,
Bertha; you remember how lovely it is in September."

Bertha nodded. "I should think I did!" she said. "Most beautiful place I
ever saw, except the rest of it all."

"Well, I never saw it look more beautiful than that day before the
wedding, when Bell and the boys and I rode out on our wheels, and came
back by moonlight, with great bundles of purple and gold tied on our
backs and nodding over our heads. But all the ferns and the asters and
chrysanthemums and roses came mostly from Hildegarde's own garden at
Braeside, and from Roseholme, Colonel Ferrers's place. We might have
carpeted the church entirely with asters, if we had wanted to; as it
was, we had great garlands of them twined over the chancel rail and
swinging among the ferns and goldenrod; really, I never saw so many
flowers at one time in my life. When that was all done we went to the
house, Braeside, the Grahames' house, to see if we could help there; but
Mrs. Flower, a friend of Hildegarde's, of whom we used to be the least
little bit jealous before we knew her, was there, and another friend,
Miss Desmond,--she was one of the bridesmaids,--and they had everything
so beautifully arranged that there was nothing for us to do but stand
and admire it with all our eyes. People in New York had sent down all
kinds of splendid flowers, boxes and boxes of them, so that the house
was a perfect bower, and smelt like the Vale of Cashmere; but we knew
very well that Hilda would like our flowers best. Then--well, a lot more
presents had come since the night before, so as there was time enough
before dressing, we went in to see them. I don't suppose you care about
the presents, girls!"

"Oh! oh! we do!" cried the girls, in chorus. "We want to hear about
every single one, Snowy."

"My dears! it would take me all night, and then I couldn't remember them
all. But I'll try and tell you some of them. Let me see! Colonel Ferrers
gave her a set of sapphires; the most beautiful things you ever saw.
Necklace and pendant and pin, most wonderful dark blue stones, set in
star-shape. And Jack Ferrers and his father gave her some wonderful
Roman gold-work--I don't know how to describe it, I never saw anything
like it--that Jack picked up in Europe. Then there was silver, heaps and
heaps of it, from relatives in New